Just Keeping Busy Is Not The Solution

"The way to avoid
relapse,
is to just keep busy."

I've heard myself and others say that too many times. But "just keeping
busy" should not be our goal. It's not
the solution. Sure it's difficult to relapse when you don't
have any free time. But it's not changing us -- it's not changing our
heart -- it's not bringing us closer to the Savior. It's just a
short-term stopgap -- and not a very good one at that.

Of course many of the things we do to "keep busy" are great and
wonderful, like:

Studying the scriptures

Reading or Listening to Conference Talks

Doing Step Work

Praying

Doing our Church Callings

Giving Service

Yes, those are all great activities. But what is our reason
for doing them. Is it just to keep us busy so we won't have
time to fall back into our addiction? Is that the reason???

I'm sorry to say that for many of us that is exactly our motivation.
If we fill our lives with good things then we won't have time
for bad things.

Are we doing the right things
for not the
bestreasons?

Now I'm not saying that we should stop doing any of these good things.
But perhaps we should adjust our motivation for doing them. It's been
suggested that our motivation for doing those things should be to bring
us closer to Christ. And then Christ can help us change our heart so we
don't desire our addictions.

I know our Church leaders and the General Authorities are very busy.
But I doubt their motivation for being busy is just to keep
them from doing bad things and thinking bad thoughts. I have to believe
that they do what they do because of a love of Christ and a love of
their fellow men. And we should try to do the same.

Let me quote from a text, on this same subject, sent to me by a good
friend, James:

Good - doing dailies, step work and service out of
fear of relapse because I am backing away from my addictions and bad
behaviors.

Better - doing dailies, step work and
service out of a desire to change who I am because I no longer wish to
be who I was, but want to be someone new and different.

Best - doing dailies, step work and service out of a
passion to draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ and my Father in
Heaven, because I want to live with them again and become what they
would have me be.

Some Additional Thoughts

"Just keeping busy" may help keep me sober in the short term, but,
remember, sobriety is not my ultimate goal. Recovery is my goal and
sobriety is just a starting point on the road to that goal.

The 12 Steps are not designed to just help us become sober. The
Addiction Recovery Guide suggests that many of us can become sober by
Step 5. It says: "As we took step 5 ... Some of us werealready free from our addictions." Thus,
the remaining steps (6 through 12) are designed to get us to recovery.

So let's get rid of our "keeping busy" mentality and really work on
recovery, by drawing closer to Jesus Christ and allowing Him to bless
us with His atonement.